Further budget debate ahead

Published: Friday, June 12, 2009 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 9:23 p.m.

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners left some areas of the 2009-10 budget undecided at a meeting Tuesday and plans to address many of them at a meeting on June 29.

The county instituted a hiring freeze last fall. Social Services Director Liston Smith convinced the board to unfreeze five positions at a prior meeting on the budget.

He also wants to relocate six positions within the department, moving four into the Medicaid program, one into children’s nutrition and one into job training.

But the budget proposes eliminating two of the positions, saving the county $87,772.

Smith does not want the positions eliminated. The demand for food stamps and other programs at the Department of Social Services has doubled since the recession started. If the positions are eliminated, staff levels at the department will be lower than before the recession started, Smith said.

“I support DSS’s position on this. ... The workload we have seen based on the economy is affecting DSS,” Commissioner Chuck McGrady said.

Chairman Bill Moyer looked for consensus from the other commissioners on the budget item, but the board was unable to come up with a position. Part of the challenge for the board is the changing landscape at the state level. The county is unsure if the state will hold back funds while trying to balance its own budget.

“We are getting hit every day with changes,” Moyer said.

Fiber optic line

The board also did not resolve a $28,605 request to repair a fiber optic link between the 911 Center and the Historic Courthouse that was cut. The link would help provide the 911 Center with a backup location.

“It is somewhat critical to the services we provide,” McGrady said.

Sheriff Rick Davis said the call center has not had any major outages, but said they would have no other backup if the link wasn’t repaired.

“Is it an insurance policy?” McGrady said.

“Yes,” Davis responded.

Generator

The board delayed a decision on a backup generator at the 1995 Courthouse. County Engineer Marcus Jones said he does not have a firm estimate on the cost of the project. For that reason, the board decided to delay a decision.

“I don’t know how we vote on something when we don’t have the number,” McGrady said.

Office consolidation

The board delayed any decision on consolidating the tax assessor and tax collector’s office. When Terry Lyda retired as tax collector in November, the board named Assessor Stan Duncan as interim tax collector. A consultant is working on a study to determine if the county could save money by permanently consolidating the two positions.

“Consolidation allows you to move (people) to where the demand is,” Duncan told the Times-News on Thursday.

The tax collector’s office has high demand for service in the fall when tax bills are due. At the first of the year, staff could be moved into the assessor’s office when there is less demand in the tax collector’s office, Duncan said.

He wants the board to fund a GIS mapping position and hire a person to help with the elderly, disabled and veteran’s tax relief program. They are critical positions for the county, Duncan said.

Moyer said the board needs to continue to review the consolidation question and will make a decision in the future. They also made no decision on whether to fund the two positions.

Veterans van

The board did decide to allocate $5,000 to put toward the purchase of a van, which will be used to transport veterans to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Asheville. The commissioners had hoped the federal government would fund a veterans health center in Hendersonville, but the government determined the Asheville hospital was close enough.

Disabled American Veterans Commander Christopher Westall said his agency has raised money to purchase the van but is looking for assistance from Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties to put toward the cost.

“We have never had a van here since the program was started,” Westall said. “We have a severe need here.”

Once purchased, the van will be donated to the hospital, which will be responsible for all maintenance and operations of the vehicle, Westall said.

“I think for the cost of $5,000, this is a tremendous benefit to Henderson County veterans,” Moyer said.

<p>The Henderson County Board of Commissioners left some areas of the 2009-10 budget undecided at a meeting Tuesday and plans to address many of them at a meeting on June 29.</p><p>The county instituted a hiring freeze last fall. Social Services Director Liston Smith convinced the board to unfreeze five positions at a prior meeting on the budget. </p><p>He also wants to relocate six positions within the department, moving four into the Medicaid program, one into children’s nutrition and one into job training. </p><p>But the budget proposes eliminating two of the positions, saving the county $87,772.</p><p>Smith does not want the positions eliminated. The demand for food stamps and other programs at the Department of Social Services has doubled since the recession started. If the positions are eliminated, staff levels at the department will be lower than before the recession started, Smith said.</p><p>I support DSS’s position on this. ... The workload we have seen based on the economy is affecting DSS, Commissioner Chuck McGrady said. </p><p>Chairman Bill Moyer looked for consensus from the other commissioners on the budget item, but the board was unable to come up with a position. Part of the challenge for the board is the changing landscape at the state level. The county is unsure if the state will hold back funds while trying to balance its own budget.</p><p>We are getting hit every day with changes, Moyer said.</p><h3>Fiber optic line</h3>
<p>The board also did not resolve a $28,605 request to repair a fiber optic link between the 911 Center and the Historic Courthouse that was cut. The link would help provide the 911 Center with a backup location. </p><p>It is somewhat critical to the services we provide, McGrady said.</p><p>Sheriff Rick Davis said the call center has not had any major outages, but said they would have no other backup if the link wasn’t repaired. </p><p>Is it an insurance policy? McGrady said.</p><p>Yes, Davis responded.</p><h3>Generator</h3>
<p>The board delayed a decision on a backup generator at the 1995 Courthouse. County Engineer Marcus Jones said he does not have a firm estimate on the cost of the project. For that reason, the board decided to delay a decision.</p><p>I don’t know how we vote on something when we don’t have the number, McGrady said.</p><h3>Office consolidation</h3>
<p>The board delayed any decision on consolidating the tax assessor and tax collector’s office. When Terry Lyda retired as tax collector in November, the board named Assessor Stan Duncan as interim tax collector. A consultant is working on a study to determine if the county could save money by permanently consolidating the two positions. </p><p>Consolidation allows you to move (people) to where the demand is, Duncan told the Times-News on Thursday.</p><p>The tax collector’s office has high demand for service in the fall when tax bills are due. At the first of the year, staff could be moved into the assessor’s office when there is less demand in the tax collector’s office, Duncan said.</p><p>He wants the board to fund a GIS mapping position and hire a person to help with the elderly, disabled and veteran’s tax relief program. They are critical positions for the county, Duncan said.</p><p>Moyer said the board needs to continue to review the consolidation question and will make a decision in the future. They also made no decision on whether to fund the two positions.</p><h3>Veterans van</h3>
<p>The board did decide to allocate $5,000 to put toward the purchase of a van, which will be used to transport veterans to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Asheville. The commissioners had hoped the federal government would fund a veterans health center in Hendersonville, but the government determined the Asheville hospital was close enough.</p><p>Disabled American Veterans Commander Christopher Westall said his agency has raised money to purchase the van but is looking for assistance from Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties to put toward the cost.</p><p>We have never had a van here since the program was started, Westall said. We have a severe need here.</p><p>Once purchased, the van will be donated to the hospital, which will be responsible for all maintenance and operations of the vehicle, Westall said.</p><p>I think for the cost of $5,000, this is a tremendous benefit to Henderson County veterans, Moyer said.</p>